Hasta La Gadget!

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

Filed under: Misc

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In just the past couple years, I’ve noticed something: My colleague John Murillo, who shoots and edits video for TechCrunch TV, has increasingly become one of the most popular people in any room he enters. Anywhere we go on the days we shoot video, whether it’s a startup office or just a pub to grab some lunch, everyone wants to strike up a conversation with him to ask about his camera equipment. The lenses, the shutter speed, the megapixels. It’s become clear that it’s no longer just the professionals or the early adopters who are into talking about gadgets – nowadays, it’s the mainstream.

The people over at Engadget, the gadget-oriented blog (which, disclosure: is owned by AOL, which owns TechCrunch too), say they’ve noticed the same thing. So over the past few days they’ve launched a top-to-bottom site redesign, with a host of new interactive features, aimed at appealing to a larger-scale audience – an Engadget that’s not just for the early adopters, but for “the early adopter in all of us.”

Many elements of the new look, such as personal profiles, product profiles, pricing comparison engines, and the like, are being folded in from Gdgt, the consumer electronics review site founded by Engadget co-founder Peter Rojas and former Engadget editor-in-chief Ryan Block that was acquired by AOL earlier this year. In a phone call this past week, Ryan Block and current Engadget executive editor Marc Perton said that this integration was not initially planned when AOL acquired Gdgt back in February – but it soon became apparent that it was the most logical next step.

“There was so many more commonalities than we expected between Engadget and Gdgt,” Block, who currently heads up the product team that has now shifted from Gdgt to Engadget, said. “So all of the best things about Gdgt are now in Engadget.”

The changes also set Engadget up to be an online destination for the mainstream electronics buyer looking for help with a purchasing decision, in addition to the hardcore gadget geeks that have read Engadget since its inception. This puts Engadget more squarely into competition with the likes of Consumer Reports and CNET, in addition to its existing competitors in the gadget blog world. It’s a big step, but it’s one that Block and Perton say is coming at a perfect time.

“We’re evolving. We’re going to continue to tap into the traditional tech enthusiast market – we’re not going to dumb anything down,” Perton said. “But at the same time, we’ve got a much broader market than ever before. People who had never thought about electronics have now become the early adopters.”

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from “Eager Gamer,” who has asked a question that’s appeared more than a few times in our inbox over the last month. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“With next-gen consoles around the corner, could you please help me out with some of the best gaming projectors to choose from? I’m looking for something in the $2,000 – $2,500 in the price range. Thanks for any and all advice you can offer, as buying my first projector is much harder than I thought it’d be.”

Never fear Easy Gamer, as we’d rather you ask us than run the risk of buying a bad gadget. On the upside, both the Xbone and PS4 will support 4K video (the Xbone will also be able to run games in 4K where supported). On the downside, the cheapest 4K projector is more than ten times your top budget.

So instead, let’s look at a high quality projector that you can grab that is within budget. Sony’s VPLHW30ES, for instance, offers 3D projection, a 1,300 lumens bulb an HDMI-in for $2,500, while ViewSonic’s PRO9000 can be snapped up for $1,800. Still, those are just two options from us — we’re reasonably sure that the Engadget community can suggest something even more suited to your tastes.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Sony, Microsoft

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Hildy, who’s looking for a new job and doesn’t just want to trawl the back page of the local newspaper. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I’m on the hunt for a job, but I was wondering if there’s a site or service that people think is better than the rest? Is there perhaps a service, like Kayak, that pulls together all of that data from various sites and aggregates it all together? The other thing I want to know is if there’s a program that would track applications at their various stages and offer reminders rather than just using a spreadsheet? Any ideas and help would be fantastic, thank you!”

So, what do you all think? Have any of you managed to avoid a pink slip with job search website or app that you’d like to recommend? Did you pay for a month’s free LinkedIn premium and you’d never turn back? Let us know in the comments below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Ryan, who needs a device that’ll save him time out on the job. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“Hi. I’m an electrician that travels around in a van all day. Right now, I can either write receipts by hand or email to my customers after the fact. Is there any printer that I can use in the van and print from a phone or tablet? I only need to print out black and white on standard 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper, but nothing online seems to be what I need. Any help you can provide would be great, thanks!”

Well Ryan, we always feel a bit icky recommending printers, since we all know that they are the devil’s work, but you’ve got a specific need, so we shall do our best. Assuming you can grab a power inverter and therefore use any consumer-level printer that runs WiFi Direct or AirPrint (if you have an iOS device). Some examples include Brother’s HL5470DW or the HP 1102W. Beyond that? Well it’s time to turn this shebang over to our commenters, who will be happy to share some knowledge.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless

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